Friday, July 10, 2015

July 9, 2015 (Carnegie Europe) The
future of Europe’s security is being played out in Greeceand Ukraine. The crises
engulfing these two countries are not only economic, stemming from the failures
over the years of Athens and Kiev to deal with the fundamental structural
weaknesses of their state institutions. The two crises are also about Europe’s
inability to recognize that if Greece quit the eurozone and if Europe backed
away from giving Ukraine maximum political and financial support, Europe’s
security would be at stake.

Because Europe has no real security
and defense policy and, by implication, no strategy toward Greece and Ukraine,
it has depended on NATO - meaning the United States - for its security. The
basis of that security is now being challenged because the Europeans have not
internalized the threats Greece and Ukraine pose to European security and to
the transatlantic relationship.